By Paula Pyzik Scott
Ada has been looking forward to the opening of the new Wilson Football Factory for some 18 months. The $15M project encompasses a larger, climate controlled, modernized facility and the opportunity to take factory tours and shop for Wilson Sporting Goods products.
A June 27 grand opening showcased the factory and announced the extension of the National Football League and Wilson Sporting Goods partnership. Wilson has made footballs for the NFL since 1941 and the Ada factory has made them since 1955. It is one of the longest partnerships in sports history, according to the company.
At the same time, Wilson and the NFL are embarking on a new collaboration, the creation of an official football for NFL Flag programs. The project is aimed at growing the game of flag football across demographics and around the world.
At the June event, Wilson Football Factory employees attended a presentation for local dignitaries and industry insiders.
Guests included Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford, former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jordan Palmer, NFL Flag Football Ambassador and Mexico National Flag Football Player Diana Flores, Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones and former Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. The presentation was followed by tours of the facility in action, a luncheon and a flag football clinic at Ohio Northern’s Dial Roberson Stadium.
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
A community celebration is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Monday, July 8. The Ada Area Chamber of Commerce and Hardin County Chamber & Business Alliance will co-host a ribbon-cutting ceremony including Lt. Governor Jon Husted. The Wilson Sporting Goods shop will be open and tours can be scheduled at (419) 634-9901. At the time of this article, open tour dates begin in August. A percentage of ticket proceeds will be donated to youth sport groups in the area.
Plant manager Andy Wentling emphasized the support that he received from the highest levels at Wilson Sporting Goods to the local level from the Village of Ada and JobsOhio. He introduced the concept in 2019 and faced some initial skepticism. Ultimately, he notes, “We didn’t have any problems, with weather, with materials, with contractors. It went very smoothly. It’s a testament to the Vaughn Industries team, our community. Jamie Hall (Village Administrator) was unbelievable.”
He also told the Icon, “We are super excited about the whole space, and the [museum] and gift shop, to give guests a destination.” If you don’t have a tour scheduled, you can still see the factory floor through the glass wall of the lobby.
INSIDE THE FACTORY
The new facility straightens out the production line that snaked through the original Liberty St. building. Previously, work in progress often needed to be rolled from station to station by hand; now it is sent down long conveyor lines. Many assembly stations are adjustable, allowing the workers to change the work surface height.
Some 20 steps are part of making a Wilson football. And while many aspects of the facility are updated, the skilled techniques such as hand sewing and hand lacing remain true to exacting Wilson standards. The Ada-made Duke football is the NFL game ball, but the factory also crafts footballs for all levels of play, including youth, high school and college footballs. Product testing, ball customization and game-ready product break-in are also done at the Wilson Football Factory.
The Icon toured the facility with a group including former Ohio State quarterback and CBS analyst Cardale Jones, who enthusiastically tried his hand at turning a football. Jones told the Icon that the Wilson GST is his favorite football. He explained, “the material, the density, the shape” all matter to the quarterback. “Their consistent grip through every circumstance and condition in a football game… Wilson is by far leading in that.”
NFL FLAG
Wilson will be producing footballs for NFL Flag, the official flag football program of the NFL. The program is in 50 states and will host a championship tournament in Canton, Ohio July 18-21. Wilson explains that flag football is “played by over 20 million people across 100 countries, with women and girls driving some of the sport’s fastest growth. The NFL is investing in the development and growth of flag football at grassroots and elite levels across the world.”
